Moderator of the General Assembly unveils full schedule for week-long Fife visit

​Rt Rev Sally Foster-Fulton said she is looking forward to the week-long trip, which will see her celebrate the history of the church in the Kingdom, and attend a diverse range of events.

Mrs Foster Fulton, who will be accompanied by her husband Rev Stuart Fulton, is expected to visit an army base, a pilgrimage site, a coffee morning for refugees, and a football game.

The trip will include a visit to Largo Parish Church, which is celebrating its 400th anniversary, where Mrs Foster-Fulton is set to preach.

The Moderator will be welcomed to Fife Presbytery at a reception in Dysart St Clair Parish Church, Kirkcaldy on Saturday.

She will preach at a Sunday morning service at Markinch Church, and in the evening at the 400th anniversary service at Largo Parish Church, with the Very Rev Dr Russell Barr taking the service.

The next day, Mrs Foster-Fulton will visit the Big Hoose Project in Lochgelly, which has given away over half-a-million essential products donated to families in need across Scotland.

The Moderator will then lunch at the Wellesley Centre, a community hub created by Wellesley Parish Church in Methil. After eight years of fundraising, the parish was able to raise £500,000 and construction began in 2019 with the centre opening last year. In the afternoon, she will join the Hope Chest delivery team to deliver furniture to a client in their first flat.

On Tuesday, the Moderator will visit the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and their families at their base in Leuchars followed by lunch in the officer’s mess. She will also tour the University of St Andrews Eden Campus at Guardbridge before visiting the university’s chaplain’s house.

On Wednesday, after morning prayers in Culross Abbey, the Moderator will set out in a group on the Pilgrim Way. The group will have a picnic lunch at Cairneyhill Church before continuing the route to Dunfermline. There will then be an evening service at Abbotshall Church, Kirkcaldy, where the Scratch Pilgrim Choir will be participating under leadership of Richard Michael, church organist and visiting Professor of Jazz at the University of St Andrews.

On Thursday, the Moderator will visit the Scottish Rural College’s Cupar campus to meet with staff and students with a focus on the college’s sustainability courses.

After attending the St Ayle Lunch Club, run weekly by the congregation, Mrs Foster-Fulton will visit the Durie Estate at Leven, which has championed sustainable farming methods.

On Friday, the Moderator will visit Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, meet the chaplaincy team and visit the maternity unit and Kirkcaldy Foodbank.

In the afternoon she will meet with the Guilds together in Fife, attend a coffee gathering at Cupar Old Parish Church, and then lunch with the directors of East Fife Football Club. The team chaplains and directors will then host a game. On Sunday, the Moderator will preach at Tulliallan and Kincardine Church.

Mrs Foster-Fulton said: “Presbytery visits are pastoral in nature and allow moderators to experience the life of the Church in an area first-hand, including the diverse people, places, and initiatives our Church nourishes.

“I feel privileged to be able to meet people, visit places, and encourage the good works the Church is engaged in across the Presbytery of Fife.

"I will be very much in listening mode to hear people's concerns and aspirations, discuss the issues that they face and assure them all that they are held in our prayers.

“I look forward to seeing how we as a Church are making a difference in our communities today.”